650 kal a day

[Differentstarts]

For 2 months iv been on a vlcd consuming 650 kcal a day and lost 2 stone - AMA

I'm not very active I think it would definitely make a difference

I am a bit confused as to why this VLCD has all those flavours/dupes of not particularly healthy foods?

I did Lipotrim years back (and shifted 2 stone in just over 2 months) with my GP's support...

Same kind of deal, shakes/soups, bars, water, bugger all else and the daily calorie allowance was I think 650...

The significant difference was that the shakes are very very bland, barely palatable (much like Huel in fact)... and the bars actively disgusting, imagine some boiled peanuts smashed together with the contents of an ashtray...

And this was intentional, to re-educate your tastebuds, to remove all the sugar and fat and things you think taste good, for long enough that you forget and actually if you cheat, you'd find (I did it once) that those old foods actually taste rank...

Then after 12 weeks you start to re-add healthy foods and learn what real, unprocessed, quality food tastes like, what sensible portions look like etc etc.

Of course if you return to eating a poor diet you won't maintain the weightloss, but Lipotrim did seem to try to address that by re-setting your tastebuds effectively, as well as the reintroduction to food process... whereas what you're doing doesn't.

Still, if it works for you and gives you the kickstart you need, great. Please ignore the twits who haven't bothered to read all your posts and have decided to tell you all manner of things that are quite clearly not true.

Interesting. I had no idea about this system or that it was NHS recommended.

I am a bit confused as to why this VLCD has all those flavours/dupes of not particularly healthy foods?

I'm no expert, but I'd guess it's because it makes things easier to stick to. So many people fall off the "wagon" because they miss chocolate etc.

I assume it's to encourage more customers to join, the foods not bad but it's definitely not anything you would eat outside of plan and it does completely reset your taste buds, lots of people on the plan have stated this. Don't be fooled by something calling itself a chocolate brownie or a pasta carbonara as it definitely isn't

What are you eating each day ?

Do you have cheat days ?

People commenting “ it will just go back on “ - yes , if OP goes back to eating over her maintenance calories it will but if she doesn’t then it will stabilise. When it comes to calories weight loss is simple ! Eat over maintenance calories and you will put weight on , eat under and you will lose weight , eat your maintenance calories and nothing will change .

I eat 4 packs a day so usually a shake for breakfast, soup or bar for lunch, spag bol, cottage pie, spicy noodles ect for tea and then a hot shake or a pudding for supper. I also usually have a snack in the middle of the day. Iv had a 2 cheat meals not full days. But people do have planned cheat days for occasions.

Well done on your weight loss so far. Can I just check to see if I’ve understood the programme - is it you use their products for say 21 days you then eat “normally” albeit not over indulging but say 1500 a day if that is your maintenance calorie allowance?

All the posters saying they don't believe you've 'only' lost 2 stone - I'm currently on mounjaro and eating a similar amount of calories and have lost much less! Drs are baffled, I've had so many blood tests etc but my body literally will not lose weight

The plan is total food replacement for 12 weeks then you move over to switch which is calorie counting. But you do it how you want some people move over to switch before 12 weeks, some people just do switch and combine packs and real food it's very flexible to what suits people better

I ended the vlcd and reintroduced calories and food as advised for about 6 months. I did modified keto (slightly more carbs than 20grams daily due to veg and berries).

Unfortunately due to a bereavement I fell off the wagon and began eating more than I should.

I am now back on it, but my issue is that despite doing various diets over the years, my body shape has never drastically changed (just got bigger or smaller) until doing a vlcd.

I believe that the VLCD changed the locations my body stores fat.

Well done OP on doing the first 8 weeks, I did a VLCD years ago and it was the reset I needed to get my weightloss kick started and keep it going, it was hugely beneficial for me, whats your goal and start weight?

Im sorry that must be so disheartening the Facebook group I'm on for this plan the weight losses vary a lot they average around 1 stone a month but some lose significantly more and some significantly less. What iv noticed from others that makes it harder are being a woman, being over a certain age, menopause/peri menopause, hypothyroidism, pcos and being on certain medications. Plus the fact a lot of people could tick multiple boxes for these. If it helps at all they all seem to get their in the end it's just their journey is longer and harder. ❤️

Sorry I wasn’t getting at you. You eat packets of stuff that taste like those things? I see. Well again it doesn’t sound particularly nice or nutritious to me but we must all do what works for us and I commend you on your weight loss. Great that you’re feeling the benefits both physically and mentally too. Too many people stay at an unhealthy weight and don’t do anything about it or resort to gastric band or diet pills and I’m sure as Hell either of those things is far more risky than what you’re doing!

OK but doesn’t that mean you will still want real brownies?

I started at 14 1/2 stone and wanted to get down to 10 stone but I checked and that still puts my bmi as overweight so maybe more 9 1/2

No I haven't really craved chocolate at all and will be quite happy to never see another brownie again

I would love to have the commitment in me for this , I just don’t!

Well done! As long as you feel ok , don’t listen to negative comments !

My experience is sort of the counter argument to this. I have always eaten well , by which I mean 2-3 balanced meals every day. A least 7-10 fruits/vegetables, very little UPF full fat everything. At 49 I have been the same weight give or take about 2KG for 12 years, my BMI is 21-22. I don't think about calorie restriction, I have no signs of peri-menopause. If don't mess with your metabolism, it won't mess with you.

Thankyou and you don't need to apologise. It's ama so your more then welcome to ask anything at all

It’s packets of preprepared food.

I didn't until recently I think the fear did I knew 3 people who had heartattacks in a very short period of time. Then my cardiologist scaring me about the dangers of high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I had my heamotologist tell me some of my bloods where off and it was due to imflamation apparently for being fat according to him (he didn't word it like that). My mh was in the toilet, I was drinking to much, my neurologist had told me a new med he was putting me on can cause weight gain and it was a now or never moment. I don't think I would of been able to do it otherwise as it does take a lot of willpower especially at the beginning. And the fact I made a deal with my cardiologist that I can do this and I will show him and that I can reduce my bp and cholesterol naturally that really helped because theirs nothing I love more then proving people wrong, I'm quite petty like that 🤣

There's an interesting article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ covering "An eight-year experience with a very-low-calorie formula diet for control of major obesity" of a treatment plan that combined a VLCD with group therapy, that gives information about the long term success rates.

Outcome analysis revealed that 25 percent of patients were unable to adapt to this approach, dropping out within the first 3 weeks. Of the patients remaining in the program, 68 percent lost considerable weight, but did not reach their goal; of this group, recidivism was extremely high, with only 5-10 percent maintaining weight loss after 18 months. Thirty-two percent of the patients successfully attained goal weight; the holding rate of this group has been considerably greater, with 30 percent of women and 58 percent of men maintaining weight loss (within 10 lbs) for a minimum of 18 months.

So only 30% out of the 32% of female patients who reached their goal weight managed to stay at their target weight for 18 months. How many is that out of a hundred female starting participants who had reached their target weight and stayed there for 18 months?

Thanks for the encouragement 👍 do you have any stats for uk, nhs based vlcd

I'm usually one of the first to discourage people from doing VLCD but OP is doing it at the suggestion of, and under the supervision of, her GP. It's a bit different from the average, competitive undereating MNetter.

It's true that many people regain the weight after a VLCD but that is true of any diet. OP will never know if she is one of the ones who succeeds unless she tries.

I wish you luck OP and well done on what you've achieved so far.